Jacob Muller of Colton helped shelve books moved to the BirchBark Bookshop’s booth in the Canton Flea Market.

POTSDAM -- The storm damage to the second floor of Evans and White Hardware store has caused The BirchBark Bookshop outlet there to relocate temporarily.

While repairs are being made to the bookshop’s downtown Potsdam home, customers can find most of the stock at the Canton Flea Market in the Fashion Kraze in the University Plaza in Canton.

There was extensive damage to the hardware store’s roof during the storm that hit Potsdam July 17 with high winds and torrential rain.

“Before the storm, we opened a small space in the flea market for our books,” said Tim Strong, owner of the BirchBark.

“I’ve wanted to have more books in Canton for some time to be closer to our customers in that area,” he said. Strong has had a small stock of books in The Partridge Cafe for some years.

“When it became clear that the roofs and floors at Evans and White were going to need serious work, we were able to expand our space in the flea market to accommodate most of the stock from Potsdam.”

Friends and patrons helped Strong move and shelve nearly 30,000 books last week. The new BirchBark stock adds to the wares of more than 60 dealers at the Canton Flea Market.

“We look forward to moving back into the Potsdam location when the time comes,” said Strong. “And we’ll keep the space in Canton stocked, too. I guess you could say that the BirchBark has branched again.”

The BirchBark Bookshop’s main location, a mainstay for book lovers in the North Country for over 20 years, is at 40 Ashton Road in Parishville Center.